The Elementary Spelling Book, being an Improvement on the American Spelling Book · No. 149 · Part 10: Words alike and irregular spellings
124. Irregular spellings: any, many, ghost, half, yacht
Goal: Your child reads words that are not spelled the way they sound, using the book's "pronounced" column.
You'll need
- The book, open to this table
- A slate, small whiteboard, or paper and pencil
- A few index cards or slips of paper (optional)
What's in the book
No. 149, "Irregular Orthography", lists words in two columns, "Written" and "Pronounced": any, many, beau, bureau, adieu, ghost (gost), corps (kore), ache (ake), half (haf), calf (kaf), phlegm (flem), croup (kroop), tomb, wolf, yacht, business (biz'ness), colonel (kur'nel).
The lesson, step by step
The idea
SayA few English words are not spelled the way they sound. This table shows each word as written and then as it is said. These words must simply be learned by heart.
Read both columns
Read across: the written word, then how it is pronounced. Some of them:
ghost, gost
half, haf
business, biz'ness
colonel, kur'nel
Find the trick
For each word, your child finds the letters that are silent or strange: the h in ghost, the l in half, the u in business, the whole of colonel.
Spell aloud
Your child spells the common ones aloud by syllables: any, many, ghost, half, calf, busi-ness. Cover the page and spell them again.
Dictation
Dictate: any, many, ghost, half, calf, ache, tomb, business. Put any misses on cards.
Wrap up
Your child picks the strangest word on the page and tells you why.